Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst ... 234
Results 76 to 78 of 78

Thread: Caution Signals for High Speed Rail

  1. #76
    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    5,150
    Thanks
    1,261
    Thanked 1,430 Times in 888 Posts

    Default Re: Caution Signals for High Speed Rail

    Another "I told you so " according to DEMOCRAT State Senator Joe Simitian of California. Although he is a fan of HSR "done right", he is one of four California state senators to have voted against spending $100 billion on a bullet train from San Fran to L.A. In 2008 California voters approved an almost $10 billion bond issue to build a $33 billion HSR project. The original estimate of 44 million riders per year has been radically revised downward. Now it is estimated to cost $100 billion. According to Jerry Brown, it will only cost $68.5 billion. The savings will come from taking away the "bullet" by not building the special high speed roadbed. Rotflmao. God Bless Jerry. I can't make this stuff up. Nobody takes his fiscal estimates seriously. His projection in May of a $15.7 budget deficit is 70 % higher than what his January estimate was.

    Obama and the Feds have come up with $3.3 billion for this project. Simitian says it is 5 % of the cost "if the project stays on budget". Who thinks that will ever happen ? He notes further that the $3.3 billion plus $ 2.7 from the state are supposed to finance a 130 mile stretch through the Central Valley. A train from and to NOWHERE. It will NOT be high speed , will not be electrified and there is no private funding or dedicated funding source of any kind. And the 2008 ballot measure authorizing the bonds specifically prohibited state operating subsidies. Smarter than their governor, 59% of California voters who originally voted "Yes" would now vote "No" on this project.

    In contrast to "Dum Dum Brown", who failed to recognize what voters clearly see ( that the Federal $3.3 billion was designed to let California commit itself to much bigger future spending ) the Governors of Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and arguably New Jersey dodged and rejected this Federal "honeypot". Scott Walker rejected $810 million for a 78 mile HSR project parallel to I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee. Less than 1 1/2 hours by car or bus. In Ohio, Kasich rejected $400 million for a rail line traveling at automobile speed between Cleveland and Cincinatti. The best one was what Rick Scott rejected in Florida: $2.4 billion for 90 miles of HSR between Tampa and Orlando. A completely unknown number of hypothetical travelers were supposed to park their cars in Tampa, take the train and then rent another car in Orlando. A 90 mile trip by car that can be covered in 75 minutes ! Obviously this was some sort of "faith based" transportation policy lol. What Christie did in N.J. was somewhat different. What he rejected was not a HSR project. However he wisely refused to commit the N.J. taxpayers to an open-ended rail tunnel project with no protection against cost overruns and nebulous contributions from NYC and N.Y. State.

    Returning to California, "Dum Dum" Brwon has not budgeted a nickel to cover the inevitable environmental litigation. Califonia is sown thicker than any other state with environmental laws and regulations and of course has more than its share of lawyers. A HSR project without anything resembling an EIS is an open invitation to decades of litigation.

    All this posted by a train buff who likes train travel and prefers it to flying. But as I have posted, why would anyone take a train when they can drive to the same place just as cheaply, maybe cheaper. Or take a train from San Fran to L.A. when flying is faster and cheaper. Before Eagle says that my "ideology" is out of control , what does he say to Senator Simitian and his fellow Dems who object to this type of boondoggling ?
    Last edited by Eric Stoner; 02-15-2019 at 11:15 AM.

  2. #77
    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    5,150
    Thanks
    1,261
    Thanked 1,430 Times in 888 Posts

    Default Re: Caution Signals for High Speed Rail

    Some food for thought based on a very recent travel experience : HSR can work if ( it's a big "IF" ) it's done right. Just got back from a trip from NYC to D.C. It was MUCH cheaper and did not cost a measurably amount of additional time for me to take the train instead of flying. The train ( Northeast Regional formerly called the Metroliner ) took 3 hours from downtown to downtown. Flying takes about an hour BUT when you add in the security screening and getting to and from the airport, the travel times were fairly equivalent. Both trains I took were full. Sold out. I spoke to a few folks who told me they were "regular riders " and they told me "nobody flies anymore ". Too expensive. The days of the $49 and then $99 "D.C. Shuttle " are long over. Airline tickets START at $500 round trip ! And there aren't that many direct flights. Most have hours long stopovers in BOSTON of all places lol. Nothing against Boston btw.

    Acela ( the high speed rail sic. ) is a joke. To save 1/2 an hour ( AT MOST ) it is 3 times as expensive. It tops out at 120 mph for relatively short stretches vs. 90 mph for the cheaper alternative.

    The point is that IF routes are carefully and very selectively chosen they can compete on price with flying and beat driving on time. Unfortunately we have seen a LOT of wishful thinking in several high profile HSR projects. California ( San Fran to L.A. ) and Florida ( Tampa to Orlando ) being the best ( worst ? ) examples.

    My question is : Are we necessarily limited to the Northeast Corridor for viable routes ? What about L.A. to Vegas ? L.A. to Palm Springs ? D.C. to Richmond ? Springfield to Chicago ? I don't know. I am asking.

  3. #78
    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    5,150
    Thanks
    1,261
    Thanked 1,430 Times in 888 Posts

    Default Re: Caution Signals for High Speed Rail

    I told you so. I told you so. Cali Governor Gavin Newsom has cancelled California's HSR boondoggle. The original estimate of $33 billion ballooned to ( at last count ) $117 billion and California doesn't have the money.

    The kicker is Newsom is desperate to try and avoid repaying the Federal grant received from Obama of $3.3 billion.

    Stay tuned.
    Last edited by Eric Stoner; 02-20-2019 at 11:02 AM.

Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst ... 234

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-25-2011, 12:33 AM
  2. High speed pursuit ended by our shop today
    By X Evan X in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 11-13-2007, 09:20 PM
  3. Weird signals
    By sunnie in forum Stripping (was Stripping General)
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 10-13-2007, 07:19 AM
  4. i am sending confusing signals about something else
    By monicabi in forum Stripping (was Stripping General)
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 08-27-2005, 08:55 PM
  5. Looking for other high speed internet connections
    By Farrah_Holiday in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 04-14-2005, 01:25 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •